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Her wealth and beauty have made Miss Portia Crompton the catch of the season. Secretly determined to wed the maharajah’s son she left behind in India, Portia ignores the money-hungry bucks who ply her with bouquets and bonbons. But one suitor will not be deterred: Colin Byrd, Viscount Ratcliffe. He is persistent and presumptuous—and wickedly tempting.
Colin has no delusions about romance. He’s a rogue, a womanizer, and a murderer, and seduction comes as easily to him as breathing. Portia’s fortune is an irresistible lure until Colin’s mercenary scheme hits a snag. Winning her dowry is no longer enough—he wants her heart and her passion. The more adamant she is in her refusal, the more determined he is to seduce her…
Barbara25
Posted December 8, 2009
Drowning in debt, Colin, Lord Ratcliffe must find a way to get money or risk losing everything. He concocts a scheme to seduce the wealthiest and most desired heiress of the Season. Portia Crompton. It should be a simple enough task, seeing as Colin happens to be quite a ladies man and knows exactly what it will take to seduce his would be bride. Only problem is, he never expected the beautiful debutante to be so quick to catch on to his scheme.
Portia may be young, but she's no fool. She knows full well that Ratcliffe merely desires her dowry to settle all of his gambling debts. She won't deny her immediate attraction to the handsome rogue, but that doesn't mean she's about to fall for his schemes. With rumors of murder, a trail of women in his wake and of course his mountian high stack of debts, Ratcliffe is the last man Portia would ever consider entrusting her dowry to, let alone her heart.
Besides, Portia has plans of her own. She's in love, and no one--especially not Ratcliffe--will stand in the way of her being with the man she truly wants to marry.
Ratcliffe, however, isn't so easily dissuaded. Besides, he knows Portia desires him and it's merely a matter of time before her will to refuse him breaks. But what begins as a test of wills soon turns in to an all consuming love that neither of them expected.
I absolutely adored this story! Both the hero and heroine were wonderfully written. I fell head over heels in love with Colin. The perfect hero. The banter between these two was witty and hilarious, and the love story, completely romantic.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Viscount Colin Byrd needs to marry a wealthy heiress rather quickly to pay off his debts. He targets Miss Portia Crompton who grew up in India and only recently returned home with her family. Colin knows it will not be easy as he is blackballed for killing his father, leaving his mother rusticate, and has exorbitant gambling debts. He sneaks into a ball hosted by his family's enemy the Duke of Albright and meets Portia by throwing strawberries at insulting Mrs. Bardsley. However, Albright kicks him out before he can make much progress. His plan remains the same to get Portia to love him so she will marry him, but has had problems seeing her as her parents banned him.
Portia is unhappy as she has not received a letter from her beloved Maharajah Arun in a year. They fell in love, but his dad rejected her and her parents rushed her back to London. Portia is home alone with her sisters and the servants when she finds Colin in her room. Unafraid Portia asks about his dad and if he would pursue her if she was broke. He says his father died in a tragic accident, and her money made him aware of her, but since he met her he would pursue her. Meanwhile Albright does what he can to paint Colin as a killing wastrel, bur Portia is attracted to him anyway while the truth remains to be seen through a hazy web of lies.
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The changing relationship between the lead couple is superbly developed so that the audience can see and understand the metamorphosis of both of them. Her family is terrific as fully developed characters while his mother is so shallow she seems real. Although the villain's motive does not ring true especially since he conceals his deep anger so effortlessly, fans will enjoy this entertaining historical romance wherenothing is quite like it seems.
Harriet Klausner
2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Well written...I couldn't stop reading.If you like historical Romance you will love it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 19, 2011
Engaging! Keeps you guessing & on the edge of your seat! Portia & Colin are a perfect match! Only Colin has to find away to convince Portia; he needs her dowry to pay off his mother's debts! Portia will not marry a fortune hunter! Colin wants her heart, too!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This book was a cute fun read! And there mother talk about wanting to go through the pages and kick her square in the backside. That Woman I swear!! I was kinda disapointed in the ending though, but I am not dissipointed that I read it.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 2, 2011
A quick read. This is a great novel for a 1-2 day deversion!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.SourPuss
Posted March 1, 2011
Although some of the plot seemed too familiar too me (historical romances have their own brand of cliches), I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters are interesting and there is good, steady character development. The writing is humorous and keeps you interested throughout. I love that there is realism (for THAT time period, at least) here. The romance builds instead of love popping up in the middle of nowhere and the females are strong characters (the exoticism from India made the Crompton girls pop). The love scenes are tastefully done and there is moderation. This is probably one of the best series I have read in a while. While my favorite is "Never Trust a Rogue" (Lindsey's story), I loved Portia and Colin's story as well. Please read this, it's great!
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Overview
Her wealth and beauty have made Miss Portia Crompton the catch of the season. Secretly determined to wed the maharajah’s son she left behind in India, Portia ignores the money-hungry bucks who ply her with bouquets and bonbons. But one suitor will not be deterred: Colin Byrd, Viscount Ratcliffe. He is persistent and presumptuous—and wickedly tempting.
Colin has no delusions about romance. He’s a rogue, a womanizer, and a murderer, and seduction comes as easily to him as breathing. Portia’s fortune is an irresistible lure until Colin’s mercenary scheme hits a snag. Winning her dowry is no longer enough—he wants her ...